Underwater viewers



March 19, 1963 w. M. BETTS ET AL UNDERWATER VIEWERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed March 15, 1962 r J m: U N P EE. 0 V3.C m m .w/A A A W6 Mum March19, 1963 w. M. BETTS ET AL UNDERWATER VIEWERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledMarch 13, 1962 S 4 mm m% NW I I III I!!! I INVENTORS WILLIAM MBETTS 5vREGINALD c. zqz/a BY w' my ATI'OR E s,es1,726 UNDERWATER VIEWERS WilliamM. Betta, 2691 NE. 22nd St, and Reginald C. Requa, 700 N. RiversideDrive, both of Pompano Beach, Fla.

Fiied Mar. 13, 1962, Ser. No. 179,442 3 Claims. (Qt. 114-66) Thisinvention relates to underwater viewers, and more particularly to afloatable body upon which a person can rest, and which is provided witha viewing window so located and positioned that the person resisting onthe float can look down into the water.

It is an object of the invention to provide an article of this characterby which a bather or swimmer can conveniently and comfortably float uponthe surface of the water while inspecting the bed of the body of Wateron which the float is resting, or inspect fish or other water creaturesswimming in the water beneath the float.

More particularly, the invention contemplates the provision of arelatively flat, hollow and buoyant float, preferably composed of flberglass or of a material of similar characteristics, and provided with aflat top or deck upon which a bather can rest in a prone position, andwith a raised tower or turret having a Window at the bottom, provided onthe float and positioned to receive the face of the float occupant andthrough which an underwater inspection is made available. The inventionfurther contemplates the provision of means by which comfortablebreathing by the user is had during his use of the viewing tower orturret.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, wehave devised the arrangement of parts to be described and moreparticularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein an illustrative embodiment of theinvention is disclosed,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an underwater viewer, constructed inaccordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view, taken substantially o the line 2-Z of FIG.1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a detail view, showing the sleeve which covers the meetingends of the rope;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view through the face pad;

PEG. 5 is a sectional view through the turret cap;

PK 6 is a longitudinal sectional view through. the upper shell of thefloat;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view through the turret or tower and thetransparent viewing pane, and

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view through the lower shell of thefloat.

Referring to the drawings, 1 generally indicate the body of the floatand which is preferably, but not necessarily, composed of fiber glass orof some other tough waterproof material of similar characteristics. Inthe form shown, the body is composed of two molded concave-convex shellsof elongated and tapering form, and united at their edges to result in ahollow, floatable body. The upper shell is indicated at 2, and iprovided with a flat top or deck 3 upon which a bather can rest and uponwhich he assumes a prone position, face downwardly, when using theviewing turret or tower.

The upper shell 2 of the float has its concave side 4 directeddownwardly toward the upwardly-extending concave side 5 of the lowershell 6. Provided around the perimeter of the upper shell 2 is aradially extending flat flange 7, adapted to be adhesively or otherwiseintimately fastened to a similar flange 8 provided around the perimeterof the lower shell 6 of the float. When the two flanges 7 and 8 are thussecured together as above described, they unite the two halves or shellsinto a rela- 3,981,726 Fatented Mar. 19, 1963 tively flat, tapered,hollow, watertight float of substantial buoyancy and capable offloatably supporting a person resting upon its upper surface 3.

Extending outwardly from the flat flange 7 is a curved lip 9 and asimilar curved lip 19 is provided as a lateral extension of the flatflange 8. The two curved lip 9 and 1t) co-operate in the formation of achannel or groove encircling the perimeter of the float. A piece of rope'11 is fitted in the groove and is cemented or otherwise securedtherein. Portions of the rope are bulged outwardly from the oppositelongitudinal sides of the float, and at one or both ends of the same, asshown at 13, to provide hand-holds for use in using the float in thewater or handling it on land. Short rope sections 12 are insorted in thechannel or groove formed by the lips 9 and 1 2, at the points behind theoutwardly-extended handles 13. The meeting ends of the float-encirclingrope 11 can be bridged and covered by a plastic sleeve 14a as shown inFIG. 3.

In the form shown, the float tapers in depth from its forward end to itsrear, and provided in the bottom wall 14 of the lower shell near itslarger and forward end, is an aperture 15 constituting a window opening.Disposed over the inside of the lower shell and covering the opening 15therein, is a conning tower or turret 16, provided at its bottom with aradial flange 17, shaped to form a seat 18 to receive a sheet oftransparent material 19 such as Plexiglas, and confine it between thebottom of the shell 6 and the seat and cover the aperture 15. Theportion of the flange 17 that extends beyond the seat 18 is adhesivelyor otherwise attached to the bottom 14 of the lower shell around thepane 19, thus mounting the turret on the bottom shell.

irovided in the upper shell 2 is an ovate opening 20 conforming to thecross-sectional shape of the turret, said opening being surrounded by anupstanding flange 21 and the turret 16 projects upwardly through saidopening 20 and has its upper end positioned well above the top surface 3of the upper shell. The top wall of the turret 16 is provided with anoval opening 22, and the ide wall 28 of the turret is provided near saidopening, with a row of breather holes indicated at 23. The flange 21 isadhesively attached in a watertight joint to the side wall 28 of theturret.

At 24 is shown a cup-shaped oval cap member which is secured over thetop of the turret, said cap having a central oval aperture 25 registeredwith the opening 22 in the top of the turret. The cap has a.downwardlyextending annular flange or skirt 26 which is spaced away fromthe side wall 28 of the turret and ha its lower edge located above theupper face 3 of the shell 2. There is thus provided an air passage 29between the side wall of the turret and the flange as to permit theintake and exhaust of air for breathing by a person Whose face isdisposed in the openings 22 and 25.

A soft rubber face pad 30 in the form of a roundedtop rubber ring isadhesively or otherwise fixed o the top of the cap 24 around theregistered opening 22 and 25.

From the foregoing, the use and advantages of the improved viewer willbe apparent. The shape of the float is such that a person lying upon itcan propel it with the hands or feet and while doing so can peer throughthe turret and the window at the bottom of the same, and thus observethe activities of fish or other elements in the water. The float and itsparts can be made of molded material and an economical, strong and safedevice i the result.

Having thus described a single embodiment of the invention, it isobvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broadenough to cover all structures coming Within the scope of the annexedclaims.

What we claim is:

1. An underwater viewer comprising, a float in the form of a hollowbuoyant body having an upper surface upon which a person can lie in aprone position, a hollow turret extending vertically through the body,said turret being open at the top and closed at the bottom by atransparent pane, the upper end of the turret being elevated above theupper surface of the body so that the face of a person lying upon thefloat can be placed in the open top of the turret and the person canhave vision through the pane at the bottom of the same, wherein thefloat is composed of a pair of concavo-convex shells united at theirperimeters, the turret consisting of a sleeve secured to the upperconcave face of the lower shell and confining the transparent panebetween it and said face of the lower shell, the sleeve havingventilating openings in its side wall and having an open top, a capfitted on the top of the sleeve and having an opening in registry withthe open top of the sleeve, the cap having a dependent skirt extendingaround the sleeve and spaced therefrom to provide for an annular airpasage between it and the sleeve, the ventilating openings being incommunication with said annular air passage.

2. An underwater viewer comprising, a hollow fiber glass buoyant floathaving a flat top on which a person can rest in a prone position,handles extending from the opposite sides of the float, a hollow turretmounted in the float, a transparent pane interposed between the bottomof the float and an open bottom on the turret, the turret having an opentop in which the face of a viewer can be inserted, a protective padextending around the top of the turret, the turret being provided withopenings in its side walls, and a protective flange extending around theturret adjacent to its upper end and over and spaced therefrom theopenings and preventing water from splashing through said openings.

3. An underwater viewer comprising, a hollow float for the support of aperson on the water, the float consisting of upper and lowerconcavo-convex shells united at their perimeters, the shells forming arope-receiving groove around their edges, the lower shell being providedin its bottom with a window opening, a transparent pane inside of thelower shell and covering the opening, a turret of inverted cup-shapefitted over the pane and extending upwardly through the top of the uppershell and having its upper end positioned above the top of said uppershell,

the turret having an open top and having a plurality of ventilatingopenings in its side wall above the top of the upper shell, a cap tittedon the top of the turret, the cap having an opening disposed inregistration with the open top of the turret, said cap having adependent skirt portion at its periphery, the skirt portion extendingover the part of the turret that is located above the upper shell, thelower edge of the skirt portion terminating above the top of the uppershell, and the skirt portion being spaced from the side wall area of theturret in which the ventilating openings are located to thereby providean air passage between the skirt portion and the side wall of the turretwith which air passage the ventilating openings are in communication.

References ited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,376,753 Bowen May 22, 1945 2,712,139 Kelly July 5, 1955 2,717,399Back-house Sept. 13, 1955 Love Sept. 5, 1961 OTHER REFERENCES PopularScience, September 1937; page 58 relied on.

2. AN UNDERWATER VIEWER COMPRISING, A HOLLOW FIBER GLASS BUOYANT FLOATHAVING A FLAT TOP ON WHICH A PERSON CAN REST IN A PRONE POSITION,HANDLES EXTENDING FROM THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE FLOAT, A HOLLOW TURRETMOUNTED IN THE FLOAT,A TRANSPARENT PANE INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE BOTTOM OFTHE FLOAT AND AN OPEN BOTTOM OM THE TURRET, THE TURRET HAVING AN OPENTOP IN WHICH THE FACE OF A VIEWER CAN BE INSERTED, A PROTECTIVE PADEXTENDING AROUND THE TOP OF THE TURRET, THE TURRET BEING PROVIDED WITHOPENING IN ITS SIDE WALLS, AND A PROTECTIVE FLANGE EXTENDING AROUND THETURRET ADJACENT TO ITS UPPER END AND OVER AND SPACED